I'm a huge fan of games like Hitman, Deus Ex, Assassin's Creed, and other stealth/multiple path games—but Dishonored just hasn't hit the sweet spot for me. I really enjoy the art style, presentation, supernatural powers, music/sound, and multiple ways to traverse the world and complete missions. Some of the the problems that I have with it is the way the world feels entirely too small, its length, predictable plot twists, and lastly the characters—for the most part—just aren't that interesting.

There are plenty of glowing positive reviews for the game floating around the internet, as can be seen by the absurdly high MetaCritic score. Because of this, I'm going to focus on the more negative aspects of the game, rather than review and rate the game as a whole. If you are looking for an all encompassing review you should look no further than the official IGN review.

Small World/Setting

After Mission 2: High Overseer Campbell, I was really looking forward to exploring more environments. I thoroughly enjoyed the prologue, prison, Hidden Pits, and the introduction to Dunwell city. The problem is that as soon as mission 3 begins I start to realize a trend: most areas are going to be recycled. Now I typically don't have a problem with rehashed/recycled mission environments, so long as they open up new areas or drastically alter them in some way. Dead Space, Devil May, Onimusha, Resident Evil, Assassin's Creed, etc. are all good examples of games that you repeatedly play in a select few areas throughout most of the game. The difference between those franchises and Dishonored is that in the latter, not much (if anything) of real substance changes when you revisit most places later in the game.

Sure, depending on whether you have High or Low Chaos (Dishonored's version of morality), the world can become more or less hostile. But it doesn't feel substantial enough to justify so few locales. The few new missions that utilize new maps or areas consist of either A.) very small, but highly guarded areas, B.) very long, but overly linear (lacking choices or puzzles) sections, or C.) relatively empty routes leading to an already visited area, that hasn't changed at all.

For me, all of this leads to a sense of very small scale. The "city" feels more like a small town than a robust, sprawling, living and breathing place you would find in Deus Ex or Assassin's Creed.

Short Length

Before I touch on this point let me make something very clear: I am not someone that requires a long single player campaign to be satisfied with a game. Sure, it can be somewhat frustrating when a $60 game can be fully explored and completed, in fewer than double digit hours. But a 20+ hour game is by no means a requirement for enjoyment. It is definitely about quality over quantity. On a side note: it is strange that IGN makes no reference to the length of this game in its review.

That being said, you can complete all of the "Optional" objectives (which adds more nuanced and lengthy requirements to a mission), side missions (of which there are very few), collect every Rune/Painting/Bone Charm, as well finish the entire game in roughly 10-15 hours on Normal difficulty. There are of course a few instances where you have to decide how to proceed with certain actions—such as letting someone live or die—but the result doesn't greatly impact things; like you would expect in a game like Fable or Mass Effect.

The "meat" of the game, most would argue, is in replaying it many times over to make every possible choice, take a different route through a mission level, discover different dialogue and endings, build your character differently—by purchasing different power combinations, due to the fact you can't buy them all in one playthrough—as well as collect various trophies and achievements that require you to play stealthily, or with specific powers. Admittedly, doing all of the aforementioned could easily tack on another ~20 or so hours. The play style of a full stealth playthrough vs. a brute force method is, in my eyes, the only drastically different way to play the game. But the very small world and lack of weight in your decisions really doesn't encourage playing the game multiple times, unless you are a die hard completionist. Which leads me to my next point.

Choices are inconsequential

The most disheartening thing about choices in Dishonored is in the way you deal with other characters. If you choose a non-lethal method of neutralizing a target, you are given some sort of note or interaction with another character that acknowledges the choice. Nothing more. You will never run into them again and think to yourself "oh man, I wish I had killed that guy instead", or a scenario where a previous choice is reflected in a substantive shift in the story. I like to know that if I make a decision as serious as whether someone lives or dies, is forced into slavery, or is branded for life, that somewhere down the line I will feel the repercussion of said action. That is never the case, and it is disappointing when you come to that realization.

In regards to how you navigate a specific level; the luster of entering a mansion from a rat tunnel, instead of rewiring a Wall of Light—an electrified gateway that evaporates any hostile target that comes in contact with it—or Blinking (a short range teleport) your way onto the patio really starts to fade over time. This is partly due to the rehashed areas that you know by heart, or trends in map design that you start to take note of about a third of the way through the game. On very few occasions will it feel like entering through A method instead of B or C really alters your experience.

There are some routes that feel easier or more difficult—typically stemming from whether or not you have X or Y power/gadget available to you—but the moments where you think to yourself "Aha! Had I not approached from this direction I wouldn't have been able to (insert almost any task here)." The only real exception to this after the second mission, can be seen in the 8th mission. During it you are given dozens of unique approaches of entry, all of which feel different enough to warrant using one over another. This is rather disheartening when you consider that it is the final mission of the entire game.

Paper thin story and characters

In Dishonored, you have your eyes set on one goal throughout the entirety of the game: revenge. There is a secondary motivation that is recurring as well, but it is still fueled by the former. One of the primary factors that contributes the deficiencies in the story, is the character Emily— daughter of the Empress of Dunwell. The way that the story unfolds around her is erratic to say the least. It is as though the developers wanted you to really feel strongly for her, but she is never around enough to truly drive that home. This is compounded by the fact that her importance to the story is never fully justified, despite being repeatedly stated by every single main character in the game.

Whenever a character mentions her in some form or fashion, you can't help but think to yourself "How exactly does that matter?", "In what way will doing so accomplish your goals?", and "Isn't the damsel in distress story really played out?"

When you add in the fact that betrayals never really feel all that threatening to you—due to the fact that Corvo seemingly escapes from every distressing situation in mere seconds—the other characters' actions are negligible. You are also never really involved with anyone enough to feel all that attached to them, aside from maybe one or two characters that drift in and out of the story.

The dialogue that you have with the main story characters, besides Lord Regent and Emily is weak and forced. Instructions from the Loyalist members feels more like those of a disenfranchised teacher; reluctantly telling a student what to do. Rather than that of a valuable ally, whom is trying with all their heart to assist you achieve an important, mutual goal.

With so few meaningful, interesting, and well acted characters besides Slackjaw and Granny Rags—two side characters that aren't in the spotlight nearly enough—it is hard to care about what is happening in the story. Be it while it unfolds or after it has concluded.

Final thoughts

At its core, Dishonored is a fun game to pick up and play. The powers all look and feel great, and most importantly are enjoyable to use. The animations are well done. The music and sound is also exceptional. However, the game doesn't do anything groundbreaking in regards to stealth mechanics, combat, or game design in general. But what it does do right is let you play the way you want, from start to finish. You can build your character any way you see fit and be as forceful or stealthy as you see desire.

To those that are all about stealth games: this game is for you. Sadly though, when you take the brute force approach the value of the game is severely diminished, and the length of it is really shortened—to the extent that you could easily clear the main story in 5 hours if you wanted.

I just can't see myself holding on to the game very long, unless there is an announcement of some hefty DLC support, similar to that of Darksiders 2 or Borderlands 2. When you take into account how many fabulous games being released between now and the end of the year, it becomes even harder to justify keeping it rather than tossing it up on eBay or Craigslist, to fund some holiday releases.

***Spoiler Warning: This blog is filled with spoilers on Uncharted 3. Do not read it if you haven't finished Drake's Deception or care if the story is revealed.***

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is in a league of its own in regards to its cinematic feel. It's a beautiful game. One that provides environments which seamlessly transition from user driven input, to cut-scene-esque sequences, and back again without missing a beat. The way that Nathan Drake interacts with his surroundings is so realistic and intuitive, that at certain points in the game I wanted to stand up and applaud Naughty Dog. The crumbling set pieces you make your way through feel so immersive, large, and detailed, that there are times you'll truly feel like you're participating in an interactive movie. It is so visually appealing that I had friends just sit and watch me play for lengthy periods of time.

When I went to visit my family this last weekend, my nine year old sister walked in to the room just as I was entering the cruise ship on Chapter 14: Cruisin' for a Bruisin', and didn't leave until I had escaped it in Chapter 15: Sink or Swim. She stayed for the two full chapters, and only left because it was past her bed time. As she walked downstairs to say goodnight to my parents I heard her tell my mother "his game is really awesome", and she wholeheartedly meant it. For some reason all I could think about after having her sit there through the two whole chapters, and hearing her comment, was this commercial from the games predecessor:

When you can get people to observe a game being played and thoroughly enjoy it, you know you did something right.

Sadly, Uncharted 3 is not without flaws. Despite what the official IGN review might lead you to believe, the game is not the second coming. It's far from it in some respects. Namely the "refined" shooting, villains, and final boss battle in the game are all lacking. The shooting mechanics were drastically revamped from UC2 to UC3, and Naughty Dog has come under heavy fire for the changes, and rightly so.

Gunplay in the game feels awkward at times and it's just less enjoyable than in the previous installment. The recoil is so strong with many guns that you start to question whether or not Naughty Dog wants you to even land a shot, let alone kill the enemies. They claim that the changes were for the better, but in my opinion that is false. While it is rare to say that I play a shooter for the story, which is undeniably the case with Uncharted 3, shooting is still a very important aspect of the game. To have them deviate so much from the formula is disturbing, and clearly many people feel the same way, otherwise they wouldn't feel the need to respond at all.

One of the most disappointing facets of the game is its underwhelming finale. While the conclusion of Uncharted 2 is nothing to brag about, as it essentially boils down to a boring session of ring around the rosy, but with guns, Uncharted 3's ending isn't much better. In fact it's arguably worse. The final boss fight with Talbot in Drake's Deception is reduced to a pathetic button mashing fight, complete with quick time events, and capped off with Modern Warfare 2 style finisher. It feels so uninspired. So forgettable. So very, very disappointing. The fact of the matter is that the burning chateau in Chapter 7 as well as the sinking cruise ship in Chapter 15 are both more entertaining, heart pounding, and unforgettable. That's bad news when something that happens at the beginning, and middle of the game, easily overshadows the grand finale. However, the way that Naughty Dog dispatches the main villains of the story is in line with how they're treated throughout the entire game: as third rate characters.

The last chink in the chain for Uncharted 3 is the two villains. Marlowe and Talbot have great introductions in the beginning chapters of the game, then are relegated to third rate characters. Their presence is very scarce throughout the rest of the game, which in turn leaves something to be desired in the way of a true nemesis. Their ambitions and personalities barely peak out above the surface before they vanish from the screen. The relationship between Marlowe and Talbot is never clarified, and Talbot is essentially dies as an awkward thug in a suit.

Marlowe's role as the intriguing string pulling villain really isn't fleshed out enough, and the way she meets her end isn't worthy of a main villain. Although her death scene acts as closure for Nathan, who is finally moving on from his obsession with Francis Drake, did we really need it? I mean he already surpassed Francis by finishing the voyage, destroyed the damn hidden ruins, and was en route to the exit. The last six playable minutes are so underwhelming that it's hard to believe Naughty Dog would sign off on it, let alone create it. Then again they did have the bad final boss in UC2, so I shouldn't be that surprised.

When all is said and done Uncharted 3 is still a great game. The experience it offers is so unique and enjoyable, that no PS3 owner should pass up on it, while the trilogy itself warrants the purchase of the console. It's undeniable that Naughty Dog has set the bar for cinematic sequences in a video game, and the only game that has came remotely close to it is another award winning PS3 exclusive, God of War 3. Despite its flaws Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is a solid 9. It is inferior to the previous installment in some ways, and superior in others. In my opinion it does not deserve a 10 in story or gameplay due to the aforementioned reasons. It's a must play and easily a contender for GOTY, but could've been exponentially better if two or three hours were tacked on for more character growth, and a better conclusion.

This is my first blog here on IGN. Hopefully it will be the first of many, so be sure to check back again soon!